Gender inequa­lity opera­tes both verti­cally and horizontally

Why did you write your study now?

Hazal Atay: Gender parity has been discus­sed for diffe­rent domains and fields of acti­vity in France, yet the phil­an­thro­pic sector has largely remained outside of these conver­sa­ti­ons. Like­wise, where seve­ral gender parity laws were enac­ted for certain poli­ti­cal elec­tions or for the gover­nance of large compa­nies, the phil­an­thro­pic sector was virtually not affec­ted by these laws. Moreo­ver, gender parity in foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds were not studied previously or very margi­nally, and there was a gap in the lite­ra­ture on this matter.

This intrigued you?

Yes. We were intrigued by this lack of regu­la­tion and discus­sion regar­ding gender parity for and in the phil­an­thro­pic sector and wanted to under­take a preli­mi­nary study to shed light on the current state of gender parity in the phil­an­thro­pic sector in France, but also to invite further conver­sa­ti­ons and studies on this matter. To this aim, we coll­ec­ted data on boards’ gender compo­si­tion and conduc­ted 21 inter­views with boards members and CEO’s of foundations.

We observe a slow progress over 20 years across public bene­fit foundations

Anne Cornil­leau

What are the main findings of the study?

Anne Cornil­leau: Women remain under­re­pre­sen­ted in gover­nance of foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds in France; they make up one third of the boards exami­ned in this study. We observe a slow progress over 20 years across public bene­fit foun­da­ti­ons; where 15% of the boards of direc­tors achie­ved gender parity in 2001, this has increased to 29% in 2021. We noted that gender parity is more common in corpo­rate foun­da­ti­ons and across small-sized boards. What is inte­res­t­ing here is that corpo­rate foun­da­ti­ons are often crea­ted by compa­nies for which gender quotas in boards are compul­sory since the enact­ment of a 2011 French law. It is also important to empha­size that the size of the board is linked with the scope and finan­cial means of foun­da­ti­ons. One could thus posit that enti­ties with the most expan­sive boards of direc­tors tend to have high stakes in terms of power and perso­nal status, which could exacer­bate gender inequality.

You note a great imba­lance in the foun­da­ti­ons-sector in France in terms of gender parity. What is your analy­sis of the situation?

A.C.: The problem is actually twofold; on the one hand, we are confron­ted with the fact that women are under­re­pre­sen­ted in the board of direc­tors of foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds. On the other hand, even where there seems to be a gender equal repre­sen­ta­tion, there may be an unequal divi­sion of tasks and respon­si­bi­li­ties. Indeed, we found that women are less likely to preside as chairs of the boards, and more likely to be given the role of secretary.

H.A.: This hints at the exis­tence of a glass ceiling for foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds in France; the phil­an­thro­pic sector is very ‘femi­ni­zed’, yet we see that women are not included in the gover­nance of these struc­tures. Moreo­ver, these findings also suggest that inequa­li­ties are repro­du­ced at diffe­rent levels; even where women and men are equally repre­sen­ted, a gender-stereo­ty­ped divi­sion of labor persists and women are assi­gned roles with less decis­ion-making power.

even where women and men are equally repre­sen­ted, a gender-stereo­ty­ped divi­sion of labor persists and women are assi­gned roles with less decis­ion-making power.

Hazal Atay

This problem has many root causes, which include lack of aware­ness and discus­sions on gender parity, diver­sity and inclu­sion for and in the phil­an­thro­pic sector as well as social inequa­li­ties that persist in French society.

Is gender parity more than nume­ri­cally balan­ced repre­sen­ta­tion on a board?

A.C.: Gender inequa­lity is not merely about women’s nume­ri­cal under­re­pre­sen­ta­tion, nor is it just about men’s over­re­pre­sen­ta­tion. We see that gender inequa­lity is a pheno­me­non that is repro­du­ced at diffe­rent levels and it opera­tes both verti­cally and hori­zon­tally. Women are not only rest­ric­ted with a glass ceiling; they also face discri­mi­na­tion in the roles they assume or are assi­gned at a given level of acti­vity. Moreo­ver, gender inequa­lity also has cultu­ral and symbo­lic signi­fi­cance. As it is repro­du­ced, it beco­mes part of the culture; sectors or roles from which women are excluded are incre­asingly beco­ming male sectors and roles.

Gender inequa­lity also has cultu­ral and symbo­lic significance.

Anne Cornil­leau

Since the mode of opera­tion and impact of gender inequa­li­ties are multi­di­men­sio­nal, our approach to gender parity must also be multi­di­men­sio­nal. In this regard, we under­line in the report that gender parity is hori­zon­tal as much as it is verti­cal. Gender parity is ther­e­fore much more than a nume­ri­cal balance, it is quali­ta­tive as well as quan­ti­ta­tive. This was well attes­ted during the inter­views, where foun­da­ti­ons demons­tra­ted a cross-cutting approach to gender parity. They expres­sed that they see the chall­enge of gender parity linked to many other issues, that are both inter­nal and exter­nal to foun­da­ti­ons. For many of them, gender parity is also a matter of inclu­si­ve­ness and diver­sity. They also see it inte­gral to their work and advan­ced the opinion that foun­da­ti­ons shall set and lead by exam­ple towards more gender equality, diver­sity, and inclusion.

What can foun­da­ti­ons do to change?

H.A.: In the report, we propose some actionable steps that foun­da­ti­ons can take to towards gender parity. It all starts with raising aware­ness regar­ding gender parity and rela­ted issues. In this context, foun­da­ti­ons need to follow the deve­lo­p­ments and discus­sions about gender parity that are taking place in various sectors and in the world. They have to see them­sel­ves party to, not exempt from, these conver­sa­ti­ons. Aware­ness in values and prin­ci­ples are important, but it has to be follo­wed by an assess­ment of the situa­tion of gender parity in the foun­da­tion. To this aim, we parti­cu­larly recom­mend coll­ec­ting sex-disag­gre­ga­ted data to under­stand what’s at stake with gender parity in a given foun­da­tion. Such an assess­ment, howe­ver, only provi­des us with a diagno­stic of the current situa­tion. Foun­da­ti­ons also need to orga­nize brain­stor­ming sessi­ons to reflect on these assess­ments. These sessi­ons can also be venues for discus­sing other issues rela­ted to parity, like diver­sity and inclu­sion, and can also be enlar­ged to include discus­sions among other foun­da­ti­ons or within networks. It is ideal if foun­da­ti­ons work on an action plan or a road­map detail­ing their commit­ments and actions towards gender parity; it is only with such a concrete plan that we can carry the diagno­stic account (the assess­ment) to a prescrip­tive account for progres­sive change. In imple­men­ting action plans, foun­da­ti­ons may consider inves­t­ing in estab­li­shing appli­ca­tion proces­ses promo­ting diver­sity within boards and capa­city buil­ding by orga­ni­zing aware­ness raising campaigns or trai­nings on gender parity, diver­sity and inclusion.

It is ideal if foun­da­ti­ons work on an action plan or a roadmap.

Hazal Atay

The process towards gender parity needs to be an ongo­ing one, in which gender equality remains on the agenda and is tack­led as new inequa­li­ties may emerge or jeopar­dize gender parity even when or after it is acquired.

Trans­for­ma­tive action cycle toward gender parity in foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds

What role foun­da­ti­ons can play in achie­ving gender parity?

H.A.: Gender parity stands for a socie­tal and insti­tu­tio­nal ideal, and is ther­e­fore a matter of public inte­rest. Throug­hout the inter­views, execu­tive members of foun­da­ti­ons expres­sed that the phil­an­thro­pic sector can set and lead by exam­ple to support a socie­tal sea change towards gender inequi­ties. For some of the inter­view­ees, this was a matter of cohe­rence; as foun­da­ti­ons are dedi­ca­ted to achie­ving public inte­rest, they have to commit to gender  equality. Indeed, foun­da­ti­ons can play a leading role in brin­ging change towards gender equality.

---

Read the study: Gender Parity: Chal­lenges, issues, and oppor­tu­ni­ties for foun­da­ti­ons and endow­ment funds in France

Read more on diversity